Where to start learning Greek?

Here you can discuss all things Ancient Greek. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Greek, and more.
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victores
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Where to start learning Greek?

Post by victores »

I want to learn Greek online, could someone please give me a good course?
I've studied Latin in which I feel pretty fluent (especially Vulgate Latin, but I'll have to read some more classical authors though).
something not too frustrating please,because I have no idea where to begin.

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thesaurus
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by thesaurus »

It might be in your interest to invest in a book. There are several textbooks available here on Textkit, (for example, White's First Greek Book) but you might find them frustrating, as they are all quite dated. However, given your background in Latin, these courses would be less problematic than they could be (they often presuppose a knowledge of Latin). I suppose it depends on your preferred learning techniques. The Athenaze series is popular, as it couples reading sections with grammar. I've also used Mastronarde's Introduction to Attic Greek, which is quite formal in its approach, but very solid.
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest. Quod cuique temporis ad vivendum datur, eo debet esse contentus. --Cicero, De Senectute

Charles Chester
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by Charles Chester »

I have been making my own pace with Clyde Pharr's text on Homeric Greek. I also keep Richard Cunliffe's Lexicon handy, and review older threads for questions similar to my own. I suppose the stress of exams and deadlines would make me speed things up a bit, but I'm comfortable with my own pace. I want to read Homer, Hesiod and many of the Hellenic philosophers, playwrights, and historians. The general advice I found combing through various sites is that it would be best to start with Homer and then move on to Attic. There appears to be more available online and in schools for Attic and biblical Greek than Homeric, but it looks like study groups have formed out of this forum from time to time. I suggest that you select the dialect, keep looking and stay tuned. Charles

tmesis
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by tmesis »

Even for dead languages, I believe that having an audio component is exponentially helpful for learning. The only such course I'm aware of for ancient Greek is Assimil. However, it is available only in French and Italian, so you need some reading knowledge of either language. I found it an effortless process, in contrast to the very painful decoding practice that is normally taught in Latin and Greek. At the end of the course, I wasn't as sure-footed with conjugations and declensions as I might have been, and my vocabulary was fairly small, but it did give me an intuitive sense for the language. That's very valuable in my opinion.

Markos
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by Markos »

Randall Buth and Christophe Rico also offer simlar audio based texts. Rico is also in French, though an English version is due out next year. Lots of audio stuff is available for free on line, with more available every day.
οὐ μανθάνω γράφειν, ἀλλὰ γράφω τοῦ μαθεῖν.

tmesis
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by tmesis »

I'd be curious to know where these audio recordings can be found!

Those courses look great, by the way. I'm sure it will be quite a revolution when the English version is released.

spiphany
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by spiphany »

Hi, look here: http://spiphanies.blogspot.com/2009/03/ ... greek.html

Polis and Assimil are not free, but there should be enough information in the list that you can figure out where to order them if you wish. I've included links to audio samples if available.
Last edited by spiphany on Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
IPHIGENIE: Kann uns zum Vaterland die Fremde werden?
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist's, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)

modus.irrealis
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by modus.irrealis »

spiphany, it looks like you need an extra l at the end of the link there.

spiphany
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by spiphany »

Oops, thanks. Fixed.
(Need to learn to be more careful when copying and pasting)
IPHIGENIE: Kann uns zum Vaterland die Fremde werden?
ARKAS: Und dir ist fremd das Vaterland geworden.
IPHIGENIE: Das ist's, warum mein blutend Herz nicht heilt.
(Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris)

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rustymason
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by rustymason »

Karen Mohs has a series of workbooks for BiblicalGreek (Koine) for children with some audio CD's at GreeknStuff.com. JACT has audio with its course, www.jact.org.

mtcougar832
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by mtcougar832 »


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SanTang
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by SanTang »

tmesis wrote:...The only such course I'm aware of for ancient Greek is Assimil. However, it is available only in French and Italian, so you need some reading knowledge of either language...
My mother tongue is French. I went on the Assimil web site and did not see Ancient Greek for french speaking. Where did you get it from?

Thanks

modus.irrealis
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Re: Where to start learning Greek?

Post by modus.irrealis »

It's on the Assimil site but I can't link directly to it. But you can also see it at amazon.fr.

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